One-Bowl Chocolate Cupcakes

Happy Valentine’s Day!! I’m not one to go crazy over Valentine’s Day – I think love should be celebrated and expressed every day – but it’s always fun to bake up a batch of goodies for the holidays!! And what says love better than chocolate?

Actually, a couple of weeks ago, I needed to make some cupcakes. It was then that I discovered that through all my baking, I don’t have a “tried and true”, “this recipe never fails me” chocolate cupcake recipe. What a shame!! So, I have set out to find that perfect chocolate cupcake recipe.

Unfortunately, while this recipe was good, I don’t think it will make it as my “go-to” recipe. I actually saw this recipe on quite a few blogs, claiming that it is a perfect recipe, so it could have just been me. I think my mistake was trying to substitute the Dutch-process cocoa. I can never find it here, so I found a substitution online, and gave it a try. While the cupcake itself was good, it didn’t create that perfect rounded cupcake top, and if the cups weren’t filled exactly right, the top spread a bit and became almost crispy. But they still tasted good!!

So if you have what you think is the perfect chocolate cupcake recipe, please share!

Add cupcake liners to muffin tin. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl whisk together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla. Add to the dry ingredients with a whisk or electric mixer. Carefully add the hot coffee. Mix well. Fill cupcake liners with about 1/3 cup of batter. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until cake springs back when you touch it. Let cool completely.

I'm on the lookout for a favorite ever chocolate recipe as well, so let me know if you find it! I do love that this is one bowl…perfect for those times when you just don't feel like dirtying every dish in your kitchen.

In a medium saucepan, heat the butter with the vegetable oil and water over low heat, just until the butter melts. Do not boil!

In a large bowl, sift flour with sugar, cocoa, baking soda & salt. Add the melted butter mixture and beat with mixer at low speed until smooth. Add egg and beat until incorporated, then add buttermilk and vanilla and beat until smooth, scraping bottom & sides of bowl.

Pour the batter into the lined muffin tins, filling them three fourths full. (I actually got 14 cupcakes).Bake the cupcakes for 25 minutes, until springy and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes in pan, then transfer to wire rack to cool completely.Here's my blog post if you're interested: http://anotherxcrazyblog.blogspot.com/2009/08/wicked-wednesday-wrecipes.html

I don't know is it just me, but I liked this recipe very much. I didn't have buttermilk on hand (the need to bake came very suddenly) so I used orange juice instead and I added some chocolate chips too. Mine turned out round at the top as well. Thanks for posting this recipe!